Here are some of the sightings reported by visitors at the Wildlife Observation Center. Mark your calendars and come to Great Swamp NWR to experience the arrival of spring.
March
Listen for the “peent” call of the American woodcock. It’s peak duck season through mid-April, but that “quacking” call you hear may be the wood frogs, always in a hurry—calling and mating early—check for egg masses in the vernal pools. The tiny spring peepers produce a deafening spring chorus. Northern water snakes are basking on the tussocks trying to warm up. Ribbon and garter snakes are on the move as are spotted turtles. On a warm day, look for basking painted turtles. The skunk cabbage flower is almost gone by, but take a close look at the red glow on the maples—their tiny red flowers.
The Eastern phoebe arrives—look for the wagging tail as it calls its name. Ducks are still active—migrating blue-winged teal are late arrivals. Look quickly as the mourning cloak butterflies flit past; they get an early start by overwintering as adults. The tiny blue spring azure is also an early butterfly. Spring ephemerals begin their brief flowering cycle – the bright yellow trout lily is one of the first to bloom.
April 1- 15
Tree swallows appear, seemingly overnight, gracefully swooping through the air. The early warblers—palm and pine arrive. The small blue-gray gnatcatcher can be seen as well as the great egret slowly stalking on the ponds. Bullfrogs and green frogs join the chorus. In the woods, look for the white clouds of the shadbush’s early bloom, before the other trees have leafed out.
April 16 -30
The songbird migration is picking up: look for Eastern kingbird, or an early black and white warbler. The mallard is already on her nest. More flowers rush to bloom taking advantage of the intensity of spring sun before trees leaf out, creating shade: carpets of the pink-striped spring beauty, star flower, dwarf ginsing, wood anemone.
May 1–15
It’s the peak of spring songbird migration—the woods are full of color and sound. Listen for the haunting call of the thrushes. Vireos and brilliantly-colored migrating warblers abound. The tiny ruby-throated hummingbird buzzes past. Spring ephemerals are giving way to showy summer flowers: golden ragwort, the spectacular pinxter azalea, the blue flag iris, the floating yellow spatterdock. All too soon, summer arrives.
Things just aren’t the same at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge today – due to the partial government shutdown. The Refuge staff has been furloughed. They are not being paid, and their work is not being done, creating a month-long backlog – so far!
The Visitor Center is closed although the trails are open. At the Wildlife Observation Center, the most popular visitor destination at the Refuge, the automatic gate has malfunctioned and cannot be repaired until the government shutdown has ended. So visitors have to park in the small area in front of the gate and walk in from there.
The Friends are also being affected negatively by this situation. The Nature Shop, located in the Visitor Center, is closed and Friends have received no income from sales in over a month. Regularly scheduled programs, such as the January Second Sunday program, had to be cancelled. Committee planning meetings have not been held, which affects development of the Calendar of Events, creating new interpretive exhibits, and outreach programs.
Volunteers donate their time and talents to the Refuge because it’s a place we care about. Right now, volunteers are also on leave and their projects are on hold. Plans to renovate the Garden Club Blind have been brought to a stand-still as well as other initiatives.
The Refuge works with a number of other partners and those workshops and programs have also been affected or cancelled due to the continuing shutdown.
The number of people affected by the shutdown at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is unknown, but as you can imagine, there is a ripple effect which touches many people directly or indirectly – whether they are U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees, volunteers, visitors, partners, and those who would have participated in events, programs, or workshops.
Contact your Congressional representatives and urge them to end the shutdown so the staff can return to work, volunteers can resume their duties and Congress can get busy with the real issues – the reason we sent them to Washington in the first place.
Friday, November 30 through Sunday, December 2, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Start your holiday shopping at the Friends Nature Shop.
10% discount on all items – 20% discount for members
Not a member? Join any time. Your membership discount is effective immediately.
Check out our unique and original gift items for kids and adults; nature books, puzzles and games; sweatshirts, fleece, denim, hats and more. We will also have DVD copies of Saving the Great Swamp for sale.
Free parking, no lines, hands-on activities for kids in the Discovery Den.
All Nature Shop proceeds are used to fund Refuge projects – so you are also supporting your favorite place – Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.
November is Turkey Time!
On Saturday, November 24, join us for the Annual Turkey Walk — a chance to walk off that Thanksgiving turkey dinner. It’s a leisurely walk along service roads, a good birding opportunity, and we might even see a turkey! This is an informal guided walk into the Management Area, normally closed to the public, about 1 ½ miles round trip. Saturday, November 24, 1 – 2:30 p.m. Meet at the Bluebird Parking Lot, 197 Pleasant Plains Road, Harding Township. Please be prompt.
Celebrate Double Discount Days in December!
Holiday shopping, Friday, November 30 – Sunday, December 2, at the Friends Nature Shop located at the Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center. We carry nature books and field guides, nature-themed gift items, jewelry, puzzles, plush, and Judy’s pottery. Enjoy a 10% discount on all purchases and 20% if you are a Friends member. Can you imagine a better place to do your holiday shopping? No lines, free parking, and best of all, proceeds are used to fund Refuge projects and programs. Shop for your family and friends and support Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.
Don’t forget Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is a great place to visit in the winter. Raptors can be seen hunting over the fields along Pleasant Plains Road. Herons and ducks are still around until the water freezes over. The feeders at the Visitor Center are always busy – a great place to learn your backyard birds and to get started on your Junior Refuge Manager Activity Guide. There are fewer people and no bugs! Enjoy your national wildlife refuge.
Photo: Jane Bell
Celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Join us for guided Sunset Walks, a unique birding event, and a special Second Sunday program.
Sunset Walks every night.
Sunday, October 14 – Saturday, October 20, 5:30 pm – dark. Meet at Bluebird Parking Lot, 197 Pleasant Plains Road.
Easy guided walk on service roads to watch flock after flock of migrating ducks descend into the Refuge pools to spend the night. It’s awesome. Easy walk on service roads, about a mile round-trip.
Special Photographer Sunset Walk
Thursday, October 18, 4:30 pm – dark. Meet at Bluebird Parking Lot, 197 Pleasant Plains Road.
Get out to the impoundments and set up your cameras early.
The Big Sit.
Sunday, October 14, during Refuge hours. Meet at the Overlook on Pleasant Plains Road.
Volunteers will be counting all the bird species seen or heard from the Overlook Parking Lot. Stop by any time to learn more about birds and bird identification, or to help with the count. For beginning or experienced birders. It’s a great way to learn and to participate in citizen science.
Guided Bird Walk to Join The Big Sit.
Sunday, October 14, 9:00 am
Join walk leaders Carolyn and Corinne on a guided bird walk. We’ll meet at the Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center and bird our way down Pleasant Plains Road to join The Big Sit! It’s Fall Migration, so there should be lots to see (and hear)!
Second Sunday – Great Swamp Wilderness Area Turns 50.
Sunday, October 14, 1:30 – 3:00
Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center
In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Great Swamp Wilderness Act, protecting 3,660 acres of the Refuge as part of the National Wilderness Preservatoin System. Join Deputy Manager Lia McLaughlin to learn why this was significant, what’s so special about Wilderness, and the unique restrictions imposed by the Law. And, of course, to celebrate – there will be cake!
The days are getting shorter – and cooler – signals that fall migration is getting into full swing. Each year, during the second full week of October, wildlife refuges around the country celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week, a time to visit and learn about a wildlife refuge near your home. Fall is a great time to visit Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Spend some time at the Wildlife Observation Center or at the Overlook to enjoy the fall season and the many migrating birds. Stop by the Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center to find out what birds have been reported – or to report your sightings. Take advantage of our free public events. In signing the original National Wildlife Refuge Week proclamation in 1995, former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Mollie Beattie remarked: “It’s a time for all Americans to learn about and celebrate this magnificent collection of lands we as a people have set aside for wildlife.” Come celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week at your national wildlife refuge.
Sunday, October 7, 1:00 pm at NJ Audubon Society’s Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary
In 2017, George Heinrich and his team from the Florida Turtle Conservation Trust, crossed the country to find as many of the 62 species of turtles in the United States as they could in a single year. On December 27, they logged species number 57!
Turtles play significant ecological roles, are visible in many habitats, and are the most endangered wildlife group in the world. The purpose of The Big Turtle Year was to highlight the conservation needs of North American wild turtles and to increase awareness regarding the status of this often overlooked species. A national lecture series has been developed to disseminate this information to a wide range of audiences.
As part of that lecture series, on Sunday, October 7, George Heinrich will share the exciting adventure of The Big Turtle Year. He will talk about the rich diversity of this species, natural history and conservation needs. You will hear about the threats facing turtles and the actions that are needed to support their well-being.
This program is being co-sponsored by New Jersey Audubon Society and will be held at the Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary, 11 Hardscrabble Road, Bernardsville, NJ. Join us for an amazing adventure story. For more information check out George’s blog here.